Chapter 23: A Copy of Zhu Di: I Really Didn't Mean to Rebel

It was terrifying, but it had to be said—though only after Wang Yaotang had finished his meal.

Four-Eyes pulled out the expenses he had spent the whole night calculating. "Last night, the settlement money, late-night snacks, sauna, and other costs totaled 67,000. Medical expenses and nutritional supplements cost 42,000, and bail and lawyer fees were 55,000, bringing the total to 164,000. Of that, 110,000 was misappropriated from Old Li’s shipment funds."

"Wait, hold on." Wang Yaotang’s eyes nearly popped out of his head. "Are you kidding me? That much!"

Four-Eyes just looked at him quietly, saying nothing. He had actually advised against it earlier. The standard rate for settlement money was 500, but Wang Yaotang gave 1,000. Post-battle bonuses were usually 1,000, but Wang Yaotang gave 2,000... Some small gangs would just dump their injured in a traditional bone-setting clinic to save money; only major gangs went to hospitals for stitches and IV drips, yet Wang Yaotang even arranged for tetanus shots. Other people didn't pay for nutritional supplements, but Wang Yaotang did. He had overspent by 55,000.

Wang Yaotang scratched his head. "No wonder there are so many rules in the underworld. If people kept fighting recklessly like this, a small-time outfit would go bankrupt in half a month."

"Showing off strength or negotiating, at least those have some logic to them. At least the costs are low!"

"It’s fine, Brother Yao. The Xin He gang had it worse; they lost two of their brothels." Ah Jie laughed heartlessly.

"Do you even know what the core assets of a brothel are?" Four-Eyes shot a glance at Ah Jie.

Ah Jie: "...The girls?"

Four-Eyes couldn't be bothered to respond.

"Hey!" Ah Jie punched him. "Are you secretly calling me stupid in your head?"

"Don't be like that. Why rub salt in your own wounds?" Four-Eyes shrugged.

"Pfft, hahahaha!" Everyone burst into laughter. Four-Eyes’ tongue was getting sharper by the day.

After the joking and the meal, it was time to get down to business. It was time to deal with that bastard, Addict Ming.

"Damn, it stinks!" Wang Yaotang retreated a few steps, looking at his two underlings. "What happened?"

The two underlings looked helpless. "His withdrawal symptoms kicked in last night, and he lost control of his bowels."

"Damn." Wang Yaotang slapped his forehead. "Wash him off with water, strip him, and throw those clothes away." These addicts—they’d really die without their fix.

...

Addict Ming lay there twitching as if his soul had left his body, taking a full ten minutes to slowly regain consciousness. Wang Yaotang kicked him. "Stop playing dead. Who told you to frame us?"

Addict Ming’s eyes shifted from hazy to desperate and crazed. He lunged and grabbed Wang Yaotang’s calf. "Give me some, just give me a little bit."

"Fuck your mother!" Ah Jie kicked him, sending him clutching his chest, nearly gasping for air.

"Take it easy, his body is already falling apart," Wang Yaotang glared at Ah Jie. He looked down at the addict. "If you don’t talk, you get nothing." Wang Yaotang wagged his finger.

"I’ll talk, I’ll tell you everything! It was Pig-Nose Tong who told me to—"

These addicts—when the craving hits, they’d kill their own wives and children without a second thought. After hearing the truth, Ah Jie exploded, turning to rush out. "Son of a bitch! That old bastard Guan Zaisen, I’m going to kill him!"

"Hold him back!" Wang Yaotang shouted. A-Ji grabbed him. "Guan Zaisen is an old man; it’s not worth sacrificing our brothers for his sake."

"Then let’s hand Addict Ming over to the gang elder and let him serve justice," A-Wei said indignantly.

Wang Yaotang looked at Four-Eyes.

"It’s useless. Pig-Nose Tong will definitely take the fall for everything. Besides, who believes an addict? The courts don't even accept their testimony. If you gave him a hit of drugs right now, he’d even swear the elder planned the whole thing."

"We can't just let it slide!" Ah Jie roared. "Fuck his mother."

"What’s the point of yelling? It’s easy to kill an old man, but what would people think of Brother Yao? A subordinate rebelling against his superior, a traitor—do you want Brother Yao’s reputation ruined?" Four-Eyes shouted back.

"Stop bickering!" Wang Yaotang rubbed his temples in annoyance.

This evidence was neither here nor there, which was the most frustrating part. Wang Yaotang pondered for a long time, then suddenly thought of someone. "Four-Eyes, do you know about Zhu Di?"

"Huh? The Yongle Emperor? What about him?"

"Do you know what Yao Guangxiao gave to Zhu Di before he launched his rebellion?"

"I don't know." Four-Eyes looked around, confused as to why Wang Yaotang was asking this now.

"A white hat." Wang Yaotang smiled.

"Huh?" Ah Jie was baffled, turning to Four-Eyes. "What does that mean?"

Four-Eyes pursed his lips and said nothing.

"Say something! When it’s your turn to analyze, you stop!" Ah Jie punched him again.

"Kill him," A-Ji said through gritted teeth. A-Wei covered his face, laughing uncontrollably.

"The old man knows that I know, I know that he knows that I know, Zhu Yunwen knows that Zhu Di knows, and Zhu Di knows that Zhu Yunwen knows that he knows!" Wang Yaotang clapped his hands together. "Use history as a mirror to understand the rise and fall of success, use history to rectify people and understand gains and losses."

"That’s enough. Tie up Addict Ming, give him just enough food to keep him alive, and that’s it." Wang Yaotang stood up and brushed himself off.

"Brother Yao, Brother Yao, Grandfather, please, spare me..." Addict Ming scrambled toward him in terror.

"Fuck your mother!" Ah Jie kicked him away.

...

There was no need for Wang Yaotang to worry about where to keep him; he could just rent a house in the countryside for a few hundred dollars, toss him in the basement, and leave an underling to watch him. He might come in handy later.

"Where are we going now?" A-Wei asked with a grin.

"To the hospital to visit Big-Head Sheng."

Originally, Big-Head Sheng had been cut three times and just needed stitches, but after fighting Wang Yaotang one-on-one, his wounds had all reopened, he’d lost a lot of blood, and now he was hospitalized.

"Huh?"

"I'll go call some men."

"Come back. I’m going to visit a patient, not crash a funeral. Why are you calling people?" Wang Yaotang was between laughter and tears.

"Brother Yao, have you forgotten? We were the ones who sent Big-Head Sheng there," Ah Jie said, staring at him.

"It’s fine."

...

In the hospital corridor, seven or eight thugs were sitting or standing, cigarettes hanging from their mouths, chatting. One underling froze, squinted to look closer, and suddenly jumped up. "Wang Yaotang, what are you doing here!"

At that, the seven or eight thugs stood up—they had all been bailed out of Yau Ma Tei just that morning.

"Keep it down, this is a hospital!" Wang Yaotang poked the guy in the chest. "I’m here to visit the wounded, obviously. Are you still staying here?"

"Fuck your mother, our boss is in here because of you. I think you're here to stir up trouble. Don’t think I won't chop you to death!"

"I am so sick of talking to brainless idiots." Wang Yaotang let out a heavy breath, handed the flower basket to Four-Eyes, turned back, and grabbed the thug by the throat. "Acting tough with me? Who the hell do you think you are, you punk? Since when is it your place to speak for Big-Head Sheng? Are you the head of the Xin He gang?"

He raised his hand and delivered a loud slap across the guy’s face.

"Shut up!" He shoved the brainless thug back into the crowd.

The thug looked stunned, as if the slap had knocked the sense out of him. They hadn't expected Wang Yaotang to be so bold while only having two people against their group, and for a moment, they were at a loss. Yelling was one thing, but they certainly couldn't take charge for their boss.

"Brother Sheng says let them in," a voice called out from inside the ward.

The thugs breathed a sigh of relief and stepped aside to clear a path. Wang Yaotang glanced at the thug he’d hit. "Big-Head Sheng can call me Wang Yaotang because his reputation is big enough. You, you punk, what gives you the right? Call me Brother Yao, or watch out for getting chopped to death. You idiot!"

Wang Yaotang stared at him until the guy lowered his head and muttered "Brother Yao," only then did he snort and walk inside.

No manners!